WASHINGTON—Over strident opposition from the Turkish government, the Swedish Parliament, today, adopted a resolution recognizing the murder and annihilation of the Armenian, Assyrian/Syriac/Chaldean and Pontic Greek populations by the Ottoman Turkish government as “genocide,” reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“Twice in just one week, we have seen legislative bodies—the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the United States and the full parliament in Sweden—take a strong stand against Turkey’s threats against an honest affirmation of the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “We congratulate the Swedish parliamentarians—particularly those who defied party politics and foreign intimidation—to send a clear message that genocide must be condemned whenever and wherever it occurs.”
The Swedish Parliament adopted the resolution, Motion 2008/09:U332, by a vote of 131 to 130, overcoming an earlier Foreign Affairs Committee decision voting down the measure. In addition to recognizing the Armenian, Assyrian/Syriac/Chaldean and Pontic Greek Genocides, the motion also calls on Swedish authorities to work with the United Nations, European Union, and Turkey to secure international affirmation of this crime against humanity.
The decision comes just one week after the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to adopt the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.252), by a vote of 23-22 – despite last minute opposition from the Obama Administration and over intense lobbying by the Turkish government. A similar measure has been introduced in the U.S. Senate, S.Res.316.
The ANCA is continuing its “End Turkey’s Gag Rule” campaign, urging elected officials in the U.S. and around the world to reject Turkey’s attempts to silence international affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. For more information, visit
http://www.anca.org/endthegagrule.
Supportive and thank you messages are in progress from the Armenian President, Foreign Minister, and Speaker of the Parliament to their Swedish counterparts?
The continuing punishment of Turkey for turning away from its military run secular government…
I forgot to add: these things can happen even in the absence of an effective lobbying effort by us Armenians – precisely when the political time is right!
Ankara is moving towards Islam. As a result, it’s being punished. Washington can’t afford to do it directly, so it is allowing other governments to send the message indirectly. I also believe that all this was planned some time ago and may very well be connected to the the signing of the protocols.
Needless to say, Sargsyan’s administration has been playing a brilliant diplomatic game.
Thank you Sweden for the recognition of the Syriac (Aramean) Genocide
Thank you Sweden for recognizing the Assyrian/Syriac/Chaldean Genocide!
I congratulate all of us. Besides the long struggle by our Armenian brothers, this is the first step in our struggle for us Assyrian\Syriacs to have recognized one of our biggest tragedies in the past millenia. One half to two thirds of the Assyrian population were massacred in Anatolia for no other guilt than being Christian. The blood of these innocents cries out to us for justice, it falls upon us to give them a sebmlance of justice by having the world recognize the evil that occured in those years…
Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians need to cooperate more, a lot more, especially in the US.
The truth is that Armenians are the most politically active of the three groups in pushing the genocide sand related issues, though there are many more Greeks than Armenians in the US.
The top Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian organizations must coordinate better, especially at the grassroots level.
When there is a Greek, Assyrian, or Armenian issue in some state or other locality, members of all three groups should be pushed by their respective organizations to join in and work together.
In the Massachusetts campaign against the Anti-Defamation League, the Greek American grassroots (and the top Greek organizations) took no part, even though the ADL and other Jewish groups such as the AJC are uniformly opposed to Greeks as well as to Armenians. It was in the interest of Greeks to join Armenians in this campaign, but they didn’t.
I believe that Turkey fears very much the coordination of Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians in lobbying efforts against Turkey.
Thank you sweden for the recognition of the Aramean genocide!
Armenian, Aramean and Greek genocide 1915!
Sweden has recognized the Armenian, Aramean (Syriac) and Greek genocide.
This is a victory for justice.
We Armenians, Arameans and Greeks must stand together.
Together we are strong, and we have to fight peacefully with one voice.
Long live Armenia, Aram and Greece!
On behalf of my family I wish to extend my deepest thanks to the
Swedish Parliament’s Recognition of Armenian Genocide. God Bless such a country and down into the trench with (Turkey).
Our congratulations to all Armenians throughout the world.